Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

अर्धसंयमितैः केशैस्तथान्यास्त्यक्तबालकाः । एकस्मिंश्चरणे काश्चिन्नियोज्योपानहं द्रुताः

Transliteration

ardhasaṃyamitaiḥ keśaistathānyāstyaktabālakāḥ | ekasmiṃścaraṇe kāścinniyojyopānahaṃ drutāḥ

Translation

ചില സ്ത്രീകൾ തിടുക്കത്തിൽ മുടി പകുതി മാത്രം കെട്ടിയവരായിരുന്നു; ചിലർ കുഞ്ഞുങ്ങളെ വിട്ടുപോയി; ചിലർ ഒരു കാലിൽ മാത്രം ചെരിപ്പിട്ട് വേഗത്തിൽ പുറത്തേക്ക് പാഞ്ഞു।

Word by Word

• अर्धसंयमितैः: with half-tied/half-restrained
• अर्धसंयमितैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्ध + संयमित (कृदन्त; √यम् धातु, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; Instrumental Plural; समासः—तत्पुरुष (विशेषण)

• केशैः: with (their) hair
• केशैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; Instrumental Plural

• तथा: thus/also
• तथा: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—समुच्चय/उपमानार्थक (adverb: ‘thus/also’)

• अन्याः: others (women)
• अन्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; Nominative Plural

• त्यक्तबालकाः: having left their children behind
• त्यक्तबालकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्यक्त (कृदन्त; √त्यज् धातु, क्त) + बालक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; Nominative Plural; समासः—तत्पुरुष (विशेषण: ‘having abandoned children’)

• एकस्मिन्: on one
• एकस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; Locative Singular (used adjectivally)

• चरणे: foot
• चरणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; Locative Singular

• काश्चित्: some (women)
• काश्चित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; Indefinite pronoun ‘some (women)’

• नियोज्य: having put on/fastened
• नियोज्य: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नि + √युज् (धातु), ल्यप् (अव्ययीभाव/कृदन्त; gerund)
• Form: अव्यय-कृदन्त (क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त); ‘having fastened/put on’

• उपानहम्: a shoe/sandal
• उपानहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपानह्/उपानह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; Accusative Singular

• द्रुताः: running swiftly
• द्रुताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्रुत (कृदन्त; √द्रु धातु, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; Nominative Plural; ‘having run/quick’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced from Purāṇic māhātmya narration style within Nāgarakhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Women dash out with hair half-fastened; one leaves her child; another slips a sandal onto only one foot—movement frozen mid-step, eyes fixed ahead.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It illustrates how overpowering worldly impulse can be, setting up a Purāṇic contrast between sense-agitation and the steadiness encouraged by dharma and tīrtha-oriented life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya framework (Adhyāya 213); the exact named tīrtha is not stated in this single verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is descriptive narrative rather than a direct injunction about snāna, dāna, or japa.